Vol De Nuit by Guerlain, 1933

*Review For Vol De Nuit Parfum It opened with Bergamot, I got a faint lemon note and Orange Blossom was prominent.The Galbadnum got lost in the other opening notes. Within fifteen minutes it had quickly moved into an Aldehyde accord for a a few minutes at best and then a burst of Iris came forward along with a faint vanilla note as if it were waiting to pounce. After thirty minutes the iris was still wafting around and the vanilla had pounced in, but not too strong. Three other notes started to make a strong presence, the orris root, musk and sandalwood were becoming strong to my nose. The moss got lost in the strength of the other top notes or my immature nose missed it. As more time passed and the orris root, musk. spices and sandalwood with just a hint of vanilla were the stars of the show and the sillage was still pretty high. For about 3 hours and slowly dropping off from there, the parfum remained a linear orris root, musk and sandalwood. After 3 hours the longevity and sillage had given in and Vol De Nuit Parfum was a skin scent and becoming a beautiful memory for me. Vol De Nuit in any concentration could very well be unisex because it's not a floral monster or overly sweet and reminds me somewhat of Shalimar which I think is very sensuous on a man. Vol De Nuit Parfum is one of those fragrances that, for me, are very alluring, sexual and I would highly recommend it!

Vol de Nuit is a monument in perfumery and there is a 'mystery' around this creation. In fact, it is not an 'easy' fragrance and one reason may well be that I perceive it both as chypré style and 'powdery oriental' (as jdt put it in this review) at the same time. This interplay and phases of different emphasis really is something I needed time to interpret for myself. I also think Vol de Nuit is a fragrance that is very prone to 'distraction' if there is still another fragrance faintly lingering on your skin. I have found the subtle interplay and transmission of chypre and oriental can be disturbed and Vol de Nuit sort of falls apart in nothing. What you want to experience when wearing the extrait (which is IMHO the only way to experience Vol de Nuit due to longevity and the perfumes' subtle facets) is exactly what sean-dt described in his beautiful review, when he states that a 'unbelievably' delicate aura seems to appear out of nowhere just when the perfume seems to fade.' Experiencing this is truly the magic of Vol de Nuit! It will always have a very very special place in my heart. It, both, comforts me and complements me by creating an aura of mystery and allure. At least, that's what I like to think... ADDITIONAL comparison vintage vs. current extrait (June 2011): The overall mood I think is more dramatic in the vintage, whereas the new is simply beautiful, if that makes sense. I also think the vintage jus demands your emotional involvement, whereas the new is again breathtakingly beautiful AND contemplative. The vintage has a spiciness that reminds me of the Parfum de Toilette of LHeure Bleue. It is very French, very Guerlain and vintage (although mine here is only 10 years old, but that ensures the floral notes are well preserved as some claim Vol de Nuit does not age well.) smelling. I think that the vintage extrait of Vol de Nuit is even more the quintessential Guerlain to me than LHeure Bleue. The new jus has a more pronounced floral heart (I like to think it is the jonquil absolute as core accord) with its edges rounded off with the help of the Guerlain vanilla and benzoin (?), which I absolutely adore. It is less spicy, less complex or is it complicated ?, less powdery and more fragile (I have found that it can sort of collapse into nothing on you when distracted by your skin chemistry e.g. faint remainders of former fragrance) than the vintage. It also does not produce as much sillage as the vintage and is more 'unisex' to my perception making it clearly an amber-emphasized fragrance, in particular in the drydown. In the end, I think the new Vol de Nuit is a sort of "modernization" and I like it at least as much as the vintage. It is the best reformulation I can think of, but I could see the loss others might feel compared to the vintage, too.

The Bottle is beautiful the artistry and craft they painstakingly created with it's Topaz cut and ruched glass cut with gold insignia inside a circle with gold metal Vol de Nuit is the hight of Art Deco and liquid from the fragrance is pure gold. Channels the playboy aviator & eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes with his planes and women of course women! numerous of them well know actresses you can think of had an affair the most well know was Katharine Hepburn Jean Harlow and Ava Gardner. Squiring jean Harlow on the red carpet of the Lavish Permire of Hells Angels beautifully reenacted by the Pop Singer Gwen Stefani from the Martin Scorsese's The Aviator. Or Walking though a Brown Smokey Quarz art deco nightclub where the smoke stains the mirrors and the women whearing skin tight Golden Dresses And Men with italian Suits And the feeling of sex Is every where and the sound of a single Saxophone Playing though the night. the scent which i agree with Kastehelmi it does fly off your skin there is no silage strength and if you compared to shalimar it is obvious that Vol de nuit is an icy sphinx not letting know her life nocturne introverted Elegance compared to shalimar with allmost an more of a masculine yang presence aggressive and yet like Vol refined.